Sparks to fly in 2000 Guineas - Further And Beyond, Miniature Man set to duel again on Saturday

FURTHER AND BEYOND and MINIATURE MAN will meet again on Saturday after their previous race which ended in a controversial dead heat last month. They will clash in the BetMakers 2000 Guineas over 1600 metres for colts and geldings in the first Classic race of the season at Caymanas Park.

FURTHER AND BEYOND, who will be ridden by Dane Nelson, and MINIATURE MAN by Dick Cardenas, battled to a dead heat in the first running of the Kingston Cup for three-year-old colts and geldings on May 8.

However, since this race there have been much speculation about the result of the race, which prompted the Jamaica Racing Commission to refer the matter to the First Instance Tribunal after a meeting with promoters and Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment last Thursday.

FURTHER AND BEYOND will hold a slight advantage over his rivals heading into Saturday's 16-horse field, having won over 1600 metres as a two-year-old in 1:39.3 minutes. This is in comparison to MINIATURE MAN, who won over the distance in 1:41.2 minutes in April as a three-year-old.

FURTHER AND BEYOND gave away four kilograms to MINIATURE MAN in their last meeting. However, both horses will be sitting level at the weight on Saturday with 57kg.

Anthony Nunes, who trains FURTHER AND BEYOND, said he has got over the dead heat drama and is now fully focused on Saturday's 2000 Guineas. He said that his colt has worked well going into the Guineas but he is expecting an exciting race.

"That, to me, is all irrelevant because the truth of the matter is the judges judged that it was a dead heat and I am accepting it," Nunes said. "I am not going to question that and bring racing into disrepute with any type of ill statement at this time regarding that because we have moved on from that, we are looking forward to the Guineas.

"I think it is going to be a very competitive race. This time of year, three-year-olds improve overnight and MINIATURE MAN showed on the last occasion that he is much improved, and he has worked very early in the mornings as well, but my colt has done nothing wrong as far as the way he is working."

Nunes said that FURTHER AND BEYOND has done excellently in the past over eight furlongs and he should be able to get the distance quite comfortably on Saturday.

"The truth of the matter is that this was the goal all along because we were always going to give him two prep runs before the Guineas and he was successful in both," he said. "So I think he is fit and ready to go."

Jason DaCosta, MINIATURE MAN's trainer, was unavailable for comment when contacted.